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The ex-president of France will soon publish a personal account next month named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling the period endured in custody.

The announcement emerged shortly following the ex-leader gained freedom as he appeals the guilty verdict related to criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to secure election campaign funds linked to the government of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, indicating the account is more about his musings from isolation rather than extensive analysis of the strained and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Quiet is absent, not present in that facility, where noise is constant sound,” he states. “The noise is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world is fortified in prison.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

During his plea for freedom, he was present via screen from his cell, describing his time inside as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, showing great humanity, easing this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It leaves a mark every inmate because it’s gruelling.”

Unprecedented Situation

He, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to experience jail.

Before entering jail he declared he intended to spend the period to compose an account.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the three books he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where an innocent man is imprisoned but escapes to take revenge.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy was held in isolation to protect him in a space approximately nine square meters including private facilities at La Santé prison in Paris. Security personnel stayed in a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned that he consumed solely dairy snacks in prison due to concerns any food might have been spat on. Although he had access for self-catering but refused this, according to reports. Not known is if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain every day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing his safety would improve released compared to inside. “He has faced threats against his life, has heard screaming at night and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Legal Proceedings

He entered custody in late October after a Paris court sentenced him to five years in prison on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to obtain political donations for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case set for next spring.